Greetings and Salutations, Blog Readers!

Today we are back with another book review, this book is from the Locker Nine Series: Grace Under Fire, By Franklin Horton. This is the second book in the series, and so far, has probably been my favorite.

It’s a toss up between books one and two, so far, and I am in the middle of reading book four right now.

This series is pretty awesome and is definitely written by someone who not only takes preparing for the apocalypse or any other disaster, seriously, but by someone who has given a lot of thought to what could possibly happen in such events.

What I hated about book one, is the same thing I hate about book two, and, is hardly something to hate, when one considers good story telling.

Piece of shit bad guys.

In book one, we dealt with “Gamma Ray” – gamer with obvious issues who honestly pissed me off with how annoyingly stupid and violent and entitled he was. In book two we deal with a similarly shitty human being, Paul. Paul is the abusive boyfriend to Leslie’s daughter, Debbie.

Leslie was brought to the Hardwick compound to help take care of Teresa, Grace’s mom, so Robert could take off to go find their daughter, who was making her way to a compound owned by a friend of Robert’s. You may recall from the end of book one, (Spoilers) that Grace and her Dad, Robert, were reunited at the end of the first book.

In the beginning of this book, a pilot offers to take the physically handicapped Tom Brady and Grace to the Hardwick property, while Robert and Tom’s Mom, Sonyea, stay behind for a few more days so Sonyea can heal her injuries.

When the two arrive near Grace’s home, however, all is not well, and problems are afoot as soon as they land. Between the hikers stranded in the town nearest the property, and the overall devastation to the area from the terrorist attacks of the first book, Grace and Tom are separated. Even when reinuntred, the happiness is short term, and they must soon part ways again, as Grace tries to get to the property.

Robert, knowing something is up when the pilot reports that they took on fire when they landed, and his friend Arthur, call in a favor with my new second favorite character, Mad Mick.

The Mad Mick literally bikes (with his own invention of a motorized assisted bike) to the property.

Grace arrives in time to see her mother, brother, and Leslie’s grandson are hiding in a shelter within the house, while Paul has made himself at home in their house. Debbie has been sent to get more druggie friends to supply their drug needs, and we ain’t talking cannabis, folks.

Grace works to dispel Paul from the property and get Leslie, who has been beaten nearly to death, safe, along with her mother, who is still recovering from surgery.

I won’t’ go into details but the action is nonstop, but Paul is a giant piece of shit. Thankfully, in the end, the Hardwicks, joined by Leslie and her grandson, are safe. Debbie, her daughter, should have been shot, but is instead left alone and told to never show her face again. Paul is dead, his body rotting near the property. The Mad Mick returns to his home, making a new friend along the way.

And the excitement is far from over, as Robert Hardwick still has not left the compound with Sonyea. Between the story, situation, and characters, you can’t stop reading, and each page builds upon the action of the next. Overall, a great book, with good insight to how stuff could happen should “shit hit the fan”.

This book keeps the pages turning and made me desperate to read the next one, and, as you know from my mentioning earlier, I am on the fourth book now, and the Mad Mick book series is on its way to me for me to read as well.

This series is definitely worth a read for anyone who likes the genre, or is survivalist minded, so go check it out.

Thanks for reading!